Recruitment and retention

[Josh]

Watching the dragons, I always thought he was a better 9.

I think mentally he isn’t like a top 7. Hasn’t recovered from that gf drop. And he is getting on a bit.

With everything going on at the moment walker and Lomax would me my go to. I’d be having chats with their managers.

Can't agree with you if you are talking about Sam Walker. What a farce! Lomax would be a very handy signing for the right price.

 

[Liverbird with Phins up]

Can't agree with you if you are talking about Sam Walker. What a farce! Lomax would be a very handy signing for the right price.

Yeah fair enough.

I’d like a half next year though.

 

[Josh]

Yeah fair enough.

I’d like a half next year though.

Seems that's Wayne's thinking as well.

 

[DolphinLungren]

Two kinds of defensive problems.
1. Misses the tackles. Usually a problem for smaller players.
2. Chooses the wrong time when to move up, move in, slide and etc. Reads the attack poorly.

If his defensive problem is #1 he'll struggle in the forwards. If it's #2, as I think you mean, he'll struggle in the centres.

Unless his head is all skull, #2 can be fixed pretty easily. Just takes experience.

Yeah his defense is not the best, and #2 is what I was referring to. He's only played league for just over 1 year so he will certainly get a better feel for the game compared to yawnion and be able to improve on it. Only way to do that is to get some experience under his belt. Considering his attacking ability is off the charts, it is a worthwhile investment giving him the time to do this in my opinion. He will certainly let some tries in at first, but I really hope he picks it up quick with some good first-grade experience because he could be a superstar if everything clicks.

 

[Jetty]

Yeah his defense is not the best, and #2 is what I was referring to. He's only played league for just over 1 year so he will certainly get a better feel for the game compared to yawnion and be able to improve on it. Only way to do that is to get some experience under his belt. Considering his attacking ability is off the charts, it is a worthwhile investment giving him the time to do this in my opinion. He will certainly let some tries in at first, but I really hope he picks it up quick with some good first-grade experience because he could be a superstar if everything clicks.

Can't wait to see how he goes!

 

[DolphinLungren]

Can't wait to see how he goes!

Same mate, it's a big game too being magic round. He is certainly being thrown straight in the fire, hope he comes out ok.

 

[Jetty]

Oliver Gildart! Anyone remember him? He must have been stinking it up in the QLD Cup in order to not even get a look in despite the well known problems about the outside backs.

Anyway, he's off to the ESL.

 

[Chris]

Oliver Gildart! Anyone remember him? He must have been stinking it up in the QLD Cup in order to not even get a look in despite the well known problems about the outside backs.

Anyway, he's off to the ESL.

Too bad he couldn't help us this year but it's ok. Next year with Herbie we will be fine for outside backs.

 

[DolphinLungren]

Can't wait to see how he goes!

He did some really great things and some really not so great things as expected, lol. I hope Wayne can get the absolute best out of him as he could be anything really.

 

[Red]

He did some really great things and some really not so great things as expected, lol. I hope Wayne can get the absolute best out of him as he could be anything really.

He has to work on his defence but IMO, we saw enough to have our new centre to partner Aitken. The biggest problem for me is his fitness. Toward the end it looked like he was really struggling. More than a centre with his level of involvement should.

 

[DolphinLungren]

He has to work on his defence but IMO, we saw enough to have our new centre to partner Aitken. The biggest problem for me is his fitness. Toward the end it looked like he was really struggling. More than a centre with his level of involvement should.

100%. He is like a blank palette really, could be anything. Hopefully he shows enough to keep playing for the rest of the year to get first-grade experience and prove his worth for a permanent spot next year alongside Herbie. Other consideration is that him or Aitken move into the 2nd row next year in the case both of them prove indispensable for the rest of this year.

 

[Equaliser]

100%. He is like a blank palette really, could be anything. Hopefully he shows enough to keep playing for the rest of the year to get first-grade experience and prove his worth for a permanent spot next year alongside Herbie. Other consideration is that him or Aitken move into the 2nd row next year in the case both of them prove indispensable for the rest of this year.

If he's finding 80min hard at centre, I think moving into the forwards will be a bit too hard.
Given the form Aitken is in, and Herbie is probably the best centre in the competition, it'll be a nice headache what to do with the 3 of them.

 

[DolphinLungren]

If he's finding 80min hard at centre, I think moving into the forwards will be a bit too hard.
Given the form Aitken is in, and Herbie is probably the best centre in the competition, it'll be a nice headache what to do with the 3 of them.

True - he has a lot of work to do especially on his fitness. I am still excited about the possibility of him achieving this and maybe eventually becoming an impact 2nd rower in the style of Dave Taylor, Fifita, and even Nelson Asofa Solomona, especially if our center spots are locked up.

 

[Equaliser]

True - he has a lot of work to do especially on his fitness. I am still excited about the possibility of him achieving this and maybe eventually becoming an impact 2nd rower in the style of Dave Taylor, Fifita, and even Nelson Asofa Solomona, especially if our center spots are locked up.

I hope he wouldn't be too much like Dave Taylor.
It would be good but he's 21. I think his best position is going to be in the centres for a long time.

 

[DolphinLungren]

I hope he wouldn't be too much like Dave Taylor.
It would be good but he's 21. I think his best position is going to be in the centres for a long time.

Same, but that's the thing, Dave had more playmaking skills than Te Whare, but both are/were incredibly gifted large athletes. Dave could've been the next Artie Beetson if his headspace and work ethic were in the right place. I really hope Val especially under Wayne can fulfill his potential.

 

[Equaliser]

Same, but that's the thing, Dave had more playmaking skills than Te Whare, but both are/were incredibly gifted large athletes. Dave could've been the next Artie Beetson if his headspace and work ethic were in the right place. I really hope Val especially under Wayne can fulfill his potential.

That's true. I think clubs kept throwing big money at Taylor because every coach thought something like, "I can turn him into the next Artie Beetson".

 

[Jetty]

Same, but that's the thing, Dave had more playmaking skills than Te Whare, but both are/were incredibly gifted large athletes. Dave could've been the next Artie Beetson if his headspace and work ethic were in the right place. I really hope Val especially under Wayne can fulfill his potential.

He'd be good in the forwards. Like Inglis, Meninga and etc also would have. But his best position is in the centres.

 

[Red]

100%. He is like a blank palette really, could be anything. Hopefully he shows enough to keep playing for the rest of the year to get first-grade experience and prove his worth for a permanent spot next year alongside Herbie. Other consideration is that him or Aitken move into the 2nd row next year in the case both of them prove indispensable for the rest of this year.

Aitken was playing second row for the Warriors last year. It smacked of desperation that Wayne signed him to play as a centre. Now he's one of the form centres of the competition. Hope it was just a slight hamstring strain and he's back in 2 weeks.

 

[Red]

Milf was good again in the second half, wasn't he?

 

[DolphinLungren]

That's true. I think clubs kept throwing big money at Taylor because every coach thought something like, "I can turn him into the next Artie Beetson".

100%. I actually spent a fair bit of time with some of the Broncos, including Dave, right around when Wayne was at the end of his 2nd stint and then when Henjack took over. Wayne was starting to get Dave on a decent track, but once Henjack took over it was all over. It's not so much a reflection on the coaches, but rather player attitude. The thing with Te Whare is that with the limited amount I know about him, I feel he has the capacity to work hard and thrive, especially under Wayne, whereas guys like Dave didn't. I really hope so, because it would be an awesome story and so good for the club if this happens.